Chapter 228: Chapter 206: Great Tremor
With Wakatsuki Kei and the Three Sect Elders gone, tranquility returned to the courtyard.
After confirming that their opponents had indeed retreated and were far away, the Three Elders let out a slight sigh of relief. They retracted their spirit, and the towering, illusory image of the deity gradually vanished. The intense starlight that had enveloped the courtyard also began to dim.
HUM!
Then, the Three Elders used their spirit to control the residence’s array.
The starlight flickered and began to close in.
Figures quickly leaped from within the residence to avoid being trapped by the Grand Array.
Everyone participating in the operation was an expert; none were fools. The array’s complete reactivation was proof that the Three Elders were exerting their full power. And if the Three Elders were free to act, it meant the most critical battle in the front courtyard had been lost. If they didn’t leave now, they never would.
In various parts of the residence, the remaining members of the Seven General Stars and the Martial Arts Association elders guarding the compound breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, they were overjoyed, knowing the Martial Arts Association had claimed the final victory in tonight’s decisive confrontation.
In the front courtyard, the Three Elders divided their attention between controlling the Grand Array to assess the situation and looking at Zhao Xuanqi. An inscrutable light glinted in their eyes.
They knew that Zhao Xuanqi had played an extremely important role in tonight’s victory. The fact that he had defeated the Three Sect Elders in one fell swoop showed that his strength had reached an unfathomable level.
His transformed body, his muscles and bones, his evasive maneuvers, his methods of storing and releasing force—it all defied logic. He seemed inhuman, impossible to comprehend.
’The legendary Fist Technique is truly extraordinary.’
The Three Elders were just about to speak to Zhao Xuanqi when they saw his body sway, as if he was about to lose his balance.
HISS!!
A large amount of blood mist was expelled from his pores. Then his body temperature dropped, and copious amounts of blood seeped out from his mouth, nose, and pores, flowing onto the ground like a small stream.
His transformed, Holy Beast-like physique began to shrink back. His form grew smaller, and he even appeared somewhat gaunt.
His body was able to transform because his spirit and flesh had merged, producing the quality of Harmony. He used his spirit to unlock the deepest shackles of life, and with the energy supplied by his internal organs, his cells broke through their limits and rapidly transformed.
But now, once that state was released, the transformation could no longer be sustained and would revert. Most of the transformed cells would necrotize in the process, turning into pus and blood to be expelled from the body.
It was almost equivalent to death by a thousand cuts.
In an instant, Zhao Xuanqi changed from a ferocious Holy Beast into a somewhat gaunt, ordinary person. His body swayed, and he nearly fell.
In this battle, he had truly pushed himself to the limit. At his current realm, entering the Qilin form for an extended period and fighting multiple consecutive battles was too much for his body and physical ability to handle.
Just now, he had merely been running on fumes, forcing back the Three Sect Elders as quickly as possible. If he had been at his peak, given his personality, no one who came tonight would have escaped. He would have kept them all as bargaining chips.
"How are you?"
Seeing Zhao Xuanqi’s condition, the Three Elders were slightly startled. They took a step forward but were stopped by a wave of Zhao Xuanqi’s hand. "It’s nothing. I won’t die. It’s just the backlash from the Secret Technique. I’m just a bit drained. I’ll be fine after some Wound Medicine."
Seeing Zhao Xuanqi manage to steady himself, the Three Elders couldn’t help but feel relieved.
"The enemy may have retreated, but this is no time to relax. The three of us will keep the array active day and night to prevent a counterattack. You all should go and treat your wounds as quickly as possible. Don’t be stingy with the Wound Medicine; you must recover your strength," the Heavenly Elder said to Zhao Xuanqi.
As the three of them controlled the array, their perception spread out, and they became aware of the situation within the residence.
Lu Yuanxiang was still unconscious. Xiang Ji was gravely injured and had also lost consciousness, his aura faint. Zhao Yuan could barely even move. Although the other few General Stars and guards were in better condition, they were all injured as well.
They had repelled the enemy, but the price was heavy. It could be said that besides the Three Elders, the Martial Arts Association no longer had any top-tier combat power. If the enemy became desperate and, at the risk of starting a war, deployed military forces, they likely wouldn’t be able to stop them.
...
...
「Meanwhile, outside the Sanlao Residence.」
An unknown number of spies had gathered around the Martial Arts Association Headquarters.
Although the main aggressors were the Beidou, Vermilion Bird, Divine Night, and Neon Influences, they were far from the only factions paying attention to the event’s progress.
The major Warlords, the other Five Nations, and even every noteworthy power from all walks of life across the land were monitoring the situation.
In a way, this was a battle that could potentially influence the current situation in the Divine Land.
This battle was crucial: it would determine whether the Jinmen Martial Arts Association became a thing of the past or broke through the confines of Jinmen to influence the entire civilian Martial Arts Realm.
From the moment Wakatsuki Kei and the others got out of their cars and entered the Martial Arts Association, all sorts of intelligence was being rapidly relayed back by the spies.
"Wakatsuki Kei and the Three Sect Elders have entered the Martial Arts Association!"
"The front courtyard’s array has been activated! Starlight is flashing, and a giant, illusory figure can be vaguely seen within. It’s suspected to be the Three Elders making their move!"
"An array has also appeared in the back courtyard! Starlight is enveloping and dividing the courtyard, blurring perception and obstructing lines of sight. It must be Lu Yuanxiang, one of the Seven General Stars and a disciple of the Three Elders, making a move. Is he trying to divide the battlefield to defeat them one by one? But Lu Yuanxiang’s skill isn’t there yet; he can’t maintain control of a large-scale array for very long."
"As expected, the array dissipated in less than a quarter hour... Wait?! What’s that?! A giant firebird streaks across the sky! Crimson light shoots to the heavens, blazing like Celestial Fire descending upon the world, burning everything in its path! It’s materializing from nothing, affecting the very void—the Vermilion Bird Form of the Vermilion Bird Sect?! To be able to use it to this degree, it can only be Hong Luan of the Vermilion Bird Sect! Who is she fighting? Why is there no aura being revealed?!"
"The Vermilion Bird Form is falling back! Hong Luan of the Vermilion Bird Sect seems to be at a disadvantage? Wait, two more auras have manifested! One is like a heavenly tribulation descending, with Purple Thunder like a dragon! The other is like stars shining in the void! It must be Xie Yuan of the Divine Night Sect and Yue Shu of the Beidou Sect! The three of them together... who are they ganging up on?!"
"Two more auras have appeared! One is a flash of golden light, forming an inviolable Golden Dragon! The other is swirling black smoke, forming an overbearingly powerful Demon General! Are these the auras of Zhao Yuan with his Primordial Dragon Secret Technique and Xiang Ji with his Celestial Dragon Extreme Breakthrough? Does that mean the one fighting Hong Luan earlier was the Hundred Beasts Fist Qilin?"
"The Vermilion Bird Form has vanished!! Has Hong Luan been defeated?!"
"The Black Smoke Demon General has dispersed, and the Golden Dragon has crumbled! But the Purple Thunder is swirling even more fiercely. The Beidou Starlight has also vanished, but according to our intelligence, the Harmony ability of the Beidou Sect’s Yue Shu is related to his body; his aura integrates internally and isn’t projected outward. He must have entered his true combat form and hasn’t been defeated. On the other hand, Zhao Yuan and Xiang Ji have likely lost their ability to fight."
"The array is showing signs of reactivating. This means the Three Elders have gained the upper hand in the front courtyard. As expected of veteran powerhouses who once contended with a Military Commander. But it’s useless. They weren’t the main target this time, and the battle in the back courtyard has already been decided."
"It seems the situation is settled..."
Countless spies judged the state of the battle based on the various shifts in auras within the Martial Arts Association Headquarters. Of course, some also used binoculars to watch, but with Qi Force swirling, rainbow light enveloping the area, and Gang Qi crisscrossing the field, it was difficult for binoculars to get a clear picture. It was less accurate than judging by the manifested forms of the auras.
Until now, all the spies believed the scales of victory had tipped in favor of the Three Great Warlords and the Neon Nation.
Zhao Yuan and Xiang Ji had been defeated. It was impossible for the Hundred Beasts Fist Qilin alone to hold off two great experts.
The spies from the major Warlord factions and the other Five Nations were calm. ’How could a civilian organization possibly stand against an official government move?’
Meanwhile, some of the major civilian factions were somewhat disappointed. With the defeat of the Jinmen Martial Arts Association, the civilian Martial Dao would no longer have the power to resist. It seemed the civilian Martial Arts Realm was ultimately no match for the authorities.
"Wait?! Those two figures?!!"
Soon, however, something stunning happened. Everyone clearly saw a figure dart out from the battle-torn courtyard. Having left the combat zone, there was no longer any rainbow light, Gang Qi, or forceful wind to obscure the view. The binoculars captured the person’s figure clearly.
From the Beidou Sect, Yue Shu?!!
They were all intelligence agents; how could they not know the files on the key figures in this operation?!
Then, another figure dashed out of the battlefield and quickly fled, wreathed in what looked like purple lightning.
From the Divine Night Sect, Xie Yuan?!
Were the two of them... fleeing?!
For a moment, no one could process what they were seeing.
The disciples of the Beidou Sect and the Divine Night Sect had actually given up and fled at the same time?!
Their opponent was supposed to be just the Hundred Beasts Fist Qilin.
Could it be that Zhao Xuanqi, by himself, had single-handedly forced both of them to retreat?!
The incredible thought surfaced in everyone’s mind.
The disciples of the great Warlords were all among the strongest below the Harmony realm. The disciples of the Beidou and Divine Night Sects, working together, were actually forced to retreat by a single person of the same realm. Who would believe such a thing?
Unless Zhao Xuanqi had already reached the Harmony realm.
Not long after, everyone saw the flickering figure of Zhao Xuanqi—looking like the incarnation of a Holy Beast—enter the Grand Array in the front courtyard. He seemed to be carrying something on his shoulder.
Afterward, from within the front courtyard, the elders of the Divine Night Sect, Beidou Sect, and Vermilion Bird Sect retreated one by one. Finally, even the most crucial figure, Wakatsuki Kei, broke through the Grand Array and left.
The intelligence agents from every faction were frozen in place, their faces etched with disbelief. It took them a long moment to snap out of it before they furiously began writing reports to send back.
"Yue Shu of the Beidou Sect and Xie Yuan of the Divine Night Sect have withdrawn from the battlefield. Hong Luan of the Vermilion Bird Sect is suspected to be defeated or dead. The status of the Neon Nation’s Two Celestial Assassins is unknown, but they have most likely been defeated or killed. The Hundred Beasts Fist Qilin intervened in the Three Elders’ battle, after which the Three Sect Elders and Wakatsuki Kei of the Profound Ocean Society successively retreated. As of now, the operation by the Three Great Warlords and the Neon Nation has ended in total failure. The Jinmen Martial Arts Association is the final victor!"
"Key figure in this battle: the Hundred Beasts Fist Qilin. He is suspected of overpowering and defeating Hong Luan of the Vermilion Bird Sect, then single-handedly forcing the retreat of Yue Shu and Xie Yuan. The withdrawal of Wakatsuki Kei and the Three Sect Elders is also highly related to him. The strength of his Martial Dao has reached an immeasurable level. Below the Harmony realm, it is feared that no one is his match."
"..."
These reports were quickly relayed by the intelligence agents of the major factions, sent back to their respective headquarters via telegraph at the earliest opportunity.
All the high-ranking members of the factions who received the intelligence wore expressions of utter disbelief.
This time, the Jinmen Martial Arts Association had actually withstood the pressure?!
And that Hundred Beasts Fist Qilin, in particular, seemed to have played the decisive role.
Just how strong was this person now?!
Countless factions had a premonition that the world’s situation was about to change again. The rise of the Martial Arts Association, they feared, would be difficult to stop.
The results of this battle sent shockwaves through the world!
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